Castlevania: Twilight of Destiny
by David Knight
Summary: (Takes place after Aria of Sorrow) The Belmont legacy is about to take on a completely new generation. Who will be the one chosen to wield the Vampire Killer?


**_Disclaimer:_**_ I don't own Castlevania, that belongs to Konami. I do own Seth, Richard, and Martina Belmont as well as Felicia Conner. This story takes place several weeks after Aria of Sorrow, which was set in 2035. Also to fit with the elements of this story, Julius is in his early sixties instead of being fifty-five as I have heard. If anyone has any questions, contact me at ericpaladin@hotmail.com_

**Castlevania: Twilight of Destiny  
By David Knight**

_London, England_

_It is here that a simple home that has stood for the last twenty years as a home for a certain clan of hunters. Those that hunt the night and the creatures that come from it. They have fought for longer than that. Much longer._

_Though the times are different from when they first started, and mankind has come to regard such creatures as simple myths, the truth of the matter is that the 'myths' have not faded away. They still exist. And so there are fighters, warriors that protect mankind from them. _

_Among all of them, one family clan stands out among them all. The Belmonts._

* * *

A young man nearly eighteen years of age sat down at a desk trying to study for his midterms. He was wearing a simple pair of blue jeans and a black shirt. His hair was light brown and cropped short. His blue eyes focused on the book.

His door slamming open broke his thoughts.

"How long are you going to spend studying those books Seth?" a proud voice boasted from the doorway. "You are Belmont for God's sake. You should be out with me on the missions I take."

Seth scowled at the man now in his room. He was in his mid 20's, having reddish brown hair, tried up in a ponytail, his own blue eyes looking almost gleefully at whatever he had done. He dressed in a black coat, which was over a white shirt and a brown pants. "I don't have your enthusiasm for hunting creatures of the night Richard. Thanks a lot for breaking my concentration. I'm trying to get ready for my midterms, as since I am still in high school, unlike you."

"Hrmph," Richard snorted, "You'd sing a different tune if you felt the thrill of the hunt."

"What hunt?" Seth rolled his eyes at his brother, "In case you have forgotten, the most of a demon you've fought so far were just trolls or such. You haven't even faced a Vampire yet."

"I look forward to that day," Richard smirked, "To prove my worth as a Belmont."

To his surprise, Seth just slapped him across the face, "Will you wake up!"

Richard's surprised turned to anger as he hauled his brother against the wall, "What the hell did you do that for?!"

"In case you've forgotten, we do NOT have the Vampire Killer whip anymore, remember?" Seth said fiercely, "We lost it the same night our grandfather Julius was lost to us when he sealed Dracula's castle back in 1999. Only two of the ten vampire hunters that were in that fight ever came back, and told our father that our grandfather disappeared with the castle." He stared Richard in the eyes, "So unless you want to just get yourself killed, go right a head. So what if we can take out minor vamps just because of our blood. Without the Vampire Killer, even we would get killed fighting a vampire as powerful as Dracula."

Richard took that into thought, and then let him go, "... point conceded, little brother."

"We might not be the best of brothers, but I don't want to see you dead Richard," Seth said.

"I'm not going to die," Richard returned, "It's you I worry about. You don't practice nearly as much as I do."

"No I don't, because I have a life while you have made the family legacy your life," Seth said. "I wonder what Dad would think of it?"

"Father is probably proud of me, looking down at me from Heaven," Richard spoke confidently, "... you I don't know about."

As much as he wanted to deck him, Seth had to concede with his brother on that one point. He had no idea what his father would think of him. Mainly because he died nearly ten years ago. He died while fighting the creatures of the night. He was sad for a long time after that, but Richard had nothing but anger towards the night since that time.

Still, was it right to fight evil with hatred in your heart?

That question couldn't be answered as the brothers' heard something hit the ground below.

"What was that?" Richard mused.

"Richard! Seth!"

"Mother!" Seth cried out when he heard her panicked voice. Richard had already gone for his whip, while Seth pulled out a sword he kept on a wall. He had equal training with a whip and a sword, it was just that his sword was much closer than his whip was. The two brothers rushed down stairs, expecting to find their mother in danger. 

They were not expecting to find her kneeling down beside a collapsed older man. When they saw him up close, both of their hearts just started pounding, as they couldn't believe it.

"Mother... is that...?" Richard breathed.

"Yes. This is Julius Belmont, your grandfather."

* * *

__Damn... I really am getting old. Thirty six years, that's how much time I lost since that day...__ Julius Belmont thought to himself as slowly started to wake up. He had come to this place after being told by Arikado that his son could be found here. It was strange since his home had been in Rome. Still, times had changed. __Especially with the Church trying to erase all existence of not only Dracula but of my family. The fools. All of them paid for the folly with what happened in Japan and the world nearly joined them because of it.__

"You're awake now."

Julius awoke to find a middle-aged woman with chestnut brown hair and blue eyes, dressed in a simple blue dress. "Who... are you?"

"My name is Martina. Martina Belmont, though its been Martina Hart to the world for some time. That's the name Alexis chose when he went into hiding, keeping the Church from finding him."

"Alexis... my son has a wife?" Julius breathed.

Martina lowered her head, "... had a wife. I'm sorry to tell you this... but my husband died ten years ago."

Julius felt heavy in his heart, hearing that this news. __No parent should ever have to outlive their own children.__ "And my wife Allegra?"

"... she was killed by the members of the Church that wanted to silence the Belmont family. Alexis escaped from that and that was when he changed his name." 

He was old, he was a man, yet even this was enough to break him, as he felt the tears coming down his face. He wept for his wife and son, both of them gone from him. Yet he should have known that tragedy would have befallen him. He had been gone for so long, there was no way to expect that everything would be as it had been.

"I know this is hard for you... but would like to wish to see your grandsons?"

Julius's eyes locked with hers then, not believing what she had just said, "... grandsons?"

"Alexis and I had two sons, Richard and Seth," Martina told him, "Both of them are outside waiting to see you."

For the moment, he put his pain away, and looked over to his daughter-in-law. "Please let them in."

The door opened and Julius saw the two young men come into the room. The older of the two reminded him much of his own son, dressed in almost identical clothing that he was wearing. It was clear to see the older of the two was carrying on the work of the family, though something in the eyes concerned him.

The younger of the two was not as big or muscled as his brother, but he had a look of honesty and sincerity to him. 

"Grandfather, I am Richard Belmont," the older of the two said with a gracious bow, "I am honored to meet a vampire hunter such as yourself and gladdened to see you are alive."

The other didn't perform such an act. He simply came over to Julius and looked into his eyes, ".... I'm Seth.... I ... really don't know what else to say... except I wish dad could be here to see this."

"So do I, young one," Julius sighed longingly.

"Grandfather, where have you been all this time?" Richard asked, getting Seth to glare at him.

"Would you let him rest?" Seth growled, "I think he's already had enough shocks for now don't you?"

"I can agree what he must now know is painful," Richard said, "But what happened to him and now that he is here, what does that mean for the world. Of Dracula? If he is free..."

"Dracula is no longer a threat... at least for now," Julius told them, getting all of their attention.

"What... what do you mean?" Richard asked, "Did you slay the demon lord?"

"No... no I did not," Julius replied, "At least not recently. It is true that I destroyed Dracula in the year 1999... however his power does not die. He remained in the castle, waiting for a way of resurrection... to find a vessel to accept its power."

"What do you mean?" Seth asked.

"It no longer matters," Julius said with a small smirk, "Dracula... no. Soma is on the side of the light."

"Soma? Who is this Soma?" Richard asked.

"Soma Cruz, a young man in Japan who is in fact Count Dracula reincarnated as human."

"What?!" Seth and Richard shouted aloud.

"Dracula gained human form! How is this possible?" Richard snapped.

"Soma isn't Dracula. In fact were it not for him, I dare say the world wouldn't be here now. He destroyed a man who hungered to become Dracula and found the way to stop himself from becoming the dark count himself," Julius said, "He is indeed a good young man."

"Really... that's interesting..." Richard mused, "I'm sorry that I have to cut this short, but I have to get going out now. Dusk will soon come and I have my own job to do."

With that Richard left them but Julius just shook his head and closed his eyes, though neither Seth or Martina saw it. __And so one of my son's children is tainted by anger and hatred... Alexis, Allegra... if only you were here now.__

* * *

A few hours passed and still Richard hadn't come back to the house. Martina had gone out to the market to gather some things for dinner and to accommodate their new arrival. Leaving Seth all alone, save for Julius resting in bed.

He opened the door to the room, and saw Julius resting and as he looked to the left, he saw it on top of the desk. 

"Vampire Killer..." Seth breathed as he walked over to the legendary whip. He had seen pictures in the family records, but never before had he seen it for real. It was black but tinted violet in some spots. He just couldn't help but feel attracted to it. He took the whip into his hands and held it, and felt something he had never felt before.

"You feel it don't you?" Seth turned around to see Julius was awake, "The power within the whip?"

"I... I didn't mean to wake you," Seth stammered putting the whip down, "I'll..."

"Boy, stay here and pull up a chair," Julius said sternly and the young man complied. "I have lost thirty-six years of my life because I couldn't remember who I was. I spent so many nights asleep, that now all I need is an hour and I can't remain asleep any more."

"... I'm sorry... for what happened to you, Grandfather," Seth said softly.

"Don't be sorry for me," Julius told him, "You had nothing to do with it and I knew before hand that there was always the chance of something happening to me. There is always the chance of 'something' happening to us in this business."

"..."

Julius took a look into the young man's eyes then, "... and that's what you are afraid of isn't it. You fear for your own life."

"My father died because of fighting evil... how can I not feel afraid?" Seth asked, "Richard thinks that just because of us being Belmonts we are invincible..."

"But you aren't, and at least you understand that." Julius said, taking Seth by surprise. "It's sad to say that both of you have your faults, the only problem is that I can't see which of you has it worse. Fear is your enemy, and obsession is his."

"He goes out every night, hunting what ever he can, trying to find anything that isn't human and strike." Seth said, "... but is that right? Do we have the right to do this to them?"

"Them?" Julius questioned, wanting to know more about where the boy stood.

"You're right. I am afraid but that's only part of the reason why I don't get myself involved as much as Richard has," Seth sighed standing up, not even facing Julius.

"And why is that?"

"... I don't know if I can actually say it... without being considered a traitor to the family or to humanity," Seth shook his head.

"Seth, look at me." Julius ordered and the young man turned to face him, "I've seen into your eyes. No matter what you think you've done, you would never be that. Now tell me."

Seth was silent for the longest of time before finally speaking, "... I have friends... among those that would be considered creatures of the night."

Seth was expecting a lot of reactions. He didn't expect Julius to laugh with mirth. "What... what's so funny?"

"My boy, have you ever been taught all of our history. Of how we have worked with those that are creatures of the dark, yet they are not evil?" Julius laughed, "Alucard, son of Dracula, one of the family's greatest allies. The werewolf Cornel, who fought Dracula and lived to tell about it. If you want someone more recent, Soma Cruz. A human no older than you that possesses the power of Dracula himself. Now tell me, did you ever need to worry about that?"

"... I guess I really shouldn't have worried about it," Seth breathed easily. "I practice every day with the whip and the sword for close to two hours. But Richard, he spends all his time training and fighting and going out..."

"It may cost him a great deal his obsession," Julius replied, "As it is, he is not worthy to wield the Vampire Killer and neither are you."

Seth turned around to face Julius, "What do you mean? I mean I know I am not ready for such a responsibility, but Richard's been a vampire hunter since he was sixteen."

"He is not worthy to use the Vampire Killer because he is filling his heart with hate," Julius said, "It's impossible not to hate some times, however to constantly fill one's self with hatred is something goes against what we believe in. What goes against the Vampire Killer."

"I see," Seth nodded.

Julius shook his head, "No. You don't... but you will. You will."

Seth looked at his watch and caught a look at the time, "I have to get going. I am meeting some friends of mine down town."

"Any of them a girlfriend?" Julius asked with a smirk.

Seth gave him a smile, "Her name's Felicia. She's a werecat. We've been going out for four months now."

"Bring her home some time. At least when your brother isn't here," Julius replied.

"Sure thing Gramps," Seth smirked as he walked out. 

Julius just laughed for a little bit, __Gramps. He called me gramps! Oh I still can't believe I'm actually a grandfather.__

* * *

There's a certain part of London that is untouched by most normal people. It's a feeling of uneasiness that they feel when walking towards this building. The reason for this is to keep humans away as the owners prefer to have a place for their own kind. It's a complex that houses several different races, races that were once long ago persecuted because they were different but have now been able to find a way of existing in the modern world.

Felicia Connor felt that not all humans were prejudiced and terrible. The fact that she was dating one was proof of that. Despite the fact that her father was against this relationship. He was one of the old ones, ones that didn't share the new generation's views on intermingling with 'the sheep' as she had heard him call humans more than once.

_Is it any wonder why mother left us?_ Felicia shook her head as she looked at herself in her mirror. Her hair was large and puffy, like cotton candy and it was exactly that color, pink. It went all the way down to her waist. She was wearing torn jeans and a stretchy t-shirt. __Don't I look hot or what? I hope Seth appreciates it._ _She felt her own body tingling as she thought about the human she wanted as her mate._ _So what if he's human? He's a good person, which is more than I can say for most of the dogs father brought to me to see if they could be my mate._ _

Sliding the window to her room open, she grabbed her backpack, slung it over her shoulder and prepared to do what she had done for the last month. Sneaking out of the building to see her beloved.

With the grace of the best felines she leapt out and landed on her feet. __Everything's the same here. No changes... that's boring though. I was kind of hoping maybe by now perhaps someone..._ _She froze then as she caught sight of a hand sticking out of a dumpster. She opened it up, assuming it must have been some sort of homeless bum that had crawled in for refuse.

When she opened the lid, she couldn't ever expected to find several bodies inside. Bodies of people that she knew. "By Bastet!" she gasped as she stepped back, only to catch sight of the back door of the building left wide open._ _No way... no one would ever leave the back door just open without anyone there at all!_ _

They might say that curiosity could kill the cat, yet Felicia was concerned for her own other kind. She rushed through the front, and what she saw disturbed her. Most of the rooms were left alone, as if there was no act of violence at all. And yet she would come across an apartment that had its door broken open and when she looked inside the result was still the same. The occupants of the room were murdered. Young or old; man, woman or child; it didn't matter to whomever was behind these killings. 

__This is like the work of a person who has thing against our kind. He really fits into father's views of humans...__ Felicia froze once she realized that, __Father!__ Running as fast she could she went back to her apartment and opened the door...

Only to find her father on a chair in the middle of the room, his throat ripped open. 

"FATHER!" Felicia screamed as she ran to his body, crying out as she couldn't fathom how this could have happened. As she looked at the body, she saw someone had stuck a dagger into his chest with a note attached. A single word was written on it. "... Traitor... what does that..." 

She suddenly stopped speaking as she felt a blade right at her throat.

"This dagger is made out of silver. Very lethal to you beast monsters," a deep voice hissed in her ear. "I'd suggest remaining still if you want to live."

"You killed my father you bastard," Felicia spat, "What makes me think you aren't going to do the same to me?"

The killer just gave a darkened laugh, "You're Seth's girlfriend right? You're the only one worth leaving alive out of all of his 'friends' in this pit of darkness."

Felicia's eyes widened at that bit of knowledge, "Seth? What does this have to do about Seth?"

"It has everything to do about him. He committed the most unforgivable of sins. Collaborating with the sworn enemy of humanity, namely you filthy monsters." The killer spat out in disgust, "I could very easily believe you tempted his heart," he paused, then spoke in an arrogant tone, "But then who would want to even speak to ugly piece of trash like you in the first place?"

"Just who the hell are you!" Felicia snarled. There was nothing for a few seconds, but after those seconds, "...  AHHHHHHHH!!!" she felt her left arm stabbed by a knife into the floor. Before she could even react, the man stabbed her in her other arm, pinning her to the ground. Her pain was burning, but she refused to give this monster any more satisfaction. It was then he finally came to face her.

"You tell my little brother that this is what Belmonts do. We hunt and we kill creatures of the night. There is no place for you beasts in the human world. Tell him that... assuming you don't bleed to death before he gets here."

Felicia could do nothing but snarl and curse at Richard Belmont as he left her helpless on the ground, with his laughter echoing in her mind.

* * *

An hour had passed at the coffee shop and Seth still hadn't seen Felicia. He knew his girl could take care of herself, but her father was another matter. __Maybe it's time we just settled the whole matter once and for all.__

It took him half an hour to get to her apartment complex by bus, however as soon as he got to the back door and saw it open, he knew something was wrong. He didn't care if some of the people hated humans, he had to find Felicia. 

As he ran up the flights of stairs, he couldn't help but feel something terrible in his heart. Finally when he got to Felicia's floor, he found the door closed. When he just touched it, it swung open.

He felt his knees go weak at the sight of the carnage inside the room. "... God..."

"...Se-th ..." 

"Felicia!" Seth gasped as he rushed to her and pulled out the daggers that were in her arms. She looked terribly weak and as he looked at the daggers, he saw what they were made of. "Silver? Who would have silver daggers?"

"Brother..." Felicia rasped.

"What?" Seth asked, getting her sitting up against a wall. He pulled down a curtain and ripped it apart in order to make bandages to try to close up her wounds. She'd heal but she had lost a lot of blood.

"Your... brother.." she moaned.

"What? Richard? He was here?!" Seth gasped in shock. When Felicia nodded her head, Seth shook his, "That... that can't be. He couldn't possibly know about us! He couldn't have... I mean he's not..."

_"He is not worthy to use the Vampire Killer because he is filling his heart with hate," Julius had said, "It's impossible not to hate some times, however to constantly fill one's self with hatred is something goes against what we believe in. What goes against the Vampire Killer."_

"... oh god," Seth breathed, remembering Julius's words, "... Richard what have you done?"

"Seth... so... tired..." Felicia moaned.

"Don't you give up me kitten!" Seth pleaded, "You hear me! Don't give up on me!" He finished bandaging her up and took her into his arms, "Where's a doctor I can take you to? I don't think a human hospital is where I could go."

"Third... floor... Room 311... Ask... for Abby..." was all she said before going limp.

Seth hurried as fast as he could, carrying his girlfriend in his arms yet feeling outrage and disgust towards his own kin. __Richard, you better be saying your prayers to God, because you and I going to have a LONG talk!__

* * *

Richard walked back into his house and went down into the cellar, a bag slung over his shoulders and a smile on his face. __Hopefully my brother will have gotten the message and he'll wake up to...__

***Click***

The lights suddenly came on, blinding Richard for the moment. When he could see again, he saw his grandfather standing there, amidst the weapons and chests that were scattered throughout the floor and on the wall. The look on his face was not a pleased one.

"What is in the bag?" Julius asked sternly.

"Nothing at all that should be a problem," Richard said calmly.

"Really," Julius asked as he flung open a chest top and there in side were the severed heads of several different creatures. He turned back to Richard, his face etched with disgust, "How many 'trophies' do you have in that bag boy?"

"Four," Richard admitted, "But what I fail to see is why you are angry with me? They are just monsters. Freaks of nature that deserve to be exterminated."

"What would your brother say if he knew?" Julius asked.

"He will soon enough," Richard said calmly, "After he gets the message from that thing he calls a girlfriend."

"... what did you do?" Julius demanded.

"Where do you think I got heads from?" Richard retorted, "From the building she and other spawn fester and---" he was then cut off by Julius shoving him against the wall, taking the bag from him and pouring out its contents, seeing the four severed heads, none of them female yet their dead expressions showed they suffered much pain.

"You tortured them?" Julius breathed, "You not only murdered but tortured?!"

Richard couldn't believe his ears, hearing how his grandfather was talking, as if he was the villain here. "Why are you defending these monsters! They do nothing but ruin humanity! I thought you understood that!"

"What I understand is the difference between a creature of the night that is evil and that is not." Julius said firmly.

"Difference... there is no difference!" Richard snapped. "All of them are monsters! Mindless, savage monsters, posing as humans to kill us all!"

"Do you know nothing of our own history, of the alliances we have had with non humans in the past?" Julius asked.

"It's because of such foolishness that father was killed!" Richard exploded. 

Julius took a step back, as that was completely different from what Martina had told him. "What do you mean?"

Richard turned away, as if the memory was a painful one to remember, "I loved my father... I loved him so much. I wanted to be the great vampire hunter he was... but he had one flaw. He trusted non-humans. One night I snuck out to watch him go on a hunt. I overheard him talking on the phone with someone, a friend he said." He took a breath before continuing, "When I got there I saw him embrace another man, the friend he must have been talking about. Then suddenly two werewolves came out to attack. My father went to fight them... but then... then the 'friend' transformed into a demon. He plunged his fist right through father's chest and ripped his heart out."

Julius became pale, wondering whether or not to believe Richard, but when the boy turned around, he could see into his eyes and knew the pain behind them. He knew that this was the truth.

"I... I couldn't do anything except watch my father be murdered as I hid in that back alley. I thought the wolves would find me and eat me... but they didn't. All I could do was run home, run in my bed and just try to forget..." he shook his head, the memory burning in his mind and one lone tear escaped his left eye. "I'll never forget the morning when the authorities found the body... and that's when I knew it was all true. I saw my father die... and with it my innocence died as did my childhood. I swore I wasn't going to allow anyone to suffer as I did, as my family has. I swore that I would make the world pure and full of light, and vanquish the night and all that come from it! That is my life now!"

__... so this is where his hatred comes from. This is not merely a misconception. This is the result of tragedy. One that even the noblest of souls would have a problem coping with.__ Julius sighed. "Does your mother or Seth know about this?"

"No, they don't," Richard said solemnly, "They don't need to know the final details... I've been overstaying my time in London now. I'm going to be leaving tonight to travel abroad."

"You intend to kill him don't you?" Julius asked flat out, knowing exactly what he meant by that. "I told you before he is not Dracula."

"And what if he becomes the Count? He's more a risk than you think. Maybe because he helped you, you are showing kindness to him and I can accept that as a reason for your reluctance," Richard said, "I know you are a hero to humanity and not a traitor... but it's clear to me that you simply cannot to do what is necessary. So I have to ask you to let me do it." His eyes turned the whip attached to Julius's belt, "And for me to do that, I need for you to give me the whip."

At first, Julius would have said no to him. However, ever since leaving Japan, the Vampire Killer had felt different, its power waning somewhat. At first he thought it could have been from the time it was used to seal Dracula's power. But now he thought differently. He was well on in his years, he was a grandfather for crying out loud now. 

The time was now coming for the next generation to possess the Vampire Killer.

__But he isn't worthy of it... not to me. His hatred will eventually consume him, and yet I cannot bare to lose him...__ Julius thought to himself, looking for an answer to this problem. Suddenly it came to him. __... perhaps Richard has already given me the answer.__ He looked at Richard in his eyes, "... I shall give you the Vampire Killer, upon one condition."

"What is the condition?" 

"That you wait three months before challenging Soma Cruz to battle," Julius said, "As strong as you are and as strong as the Vampire Killer is, you are not ready to fight someone as powerful as Soma."

Richard looked at Julius's face and examined it, trying to figure out why he would make this condition and suddenly it came to him. A smile came across his face, "So be it. I swear upon my father's grave I will not attack Soma Cruz for three months."

"Very well then," Julius said, removing the Vampire Killer from his belt and holding it out to Richard, who removed his own whip, placed it on top of a box and took the Vampire Killer into his own hands. He felt the power from the whip, the strength that it held within it. 

"Magnificent... the souls of the night will tremble before the Belmonts once more," Richard smiled. He then turned to face Julius, "Thank you and good bye Grandfather. I have to be going now. I shall not be seeing you for some time I suspect."

"May god watch over you Richard," Julius prayed.

Richard nodded and walked up the stairs, but stopped and had one more thing to say, "Tell my brother I wish him good luck... he's going to need it with what you'll be putting him through." he let out a chuckle as if imagining what that would be like.

* * *

_A few hours later..._

Seth marched right up to his house, his face had remnants of tears, as he had cried before but now that Felicia was okay his tears were done. The doctor he brought her to said that she would live but had to remain in bed for several days. The doctor also said she would watch over her and Seth was glad for it.

He didn't need to worry about Felicia as he was going to kick the crap out of his brother and make him see reason.

"RICHARD!!!" Seth roared as he slammed the front door open, scaring his mother who had been in the kitchen. "Richard you bastard! Where are you!"

"Seth! Mind your tongue!" Martina scolded but was driven back by Seth's glare.

"Mother, my brother just killed my girlfriend's father and nearly killed my girlfriend, so forgive me if I curse off or feel like I want to tear his head off!" Seth snarled before going back to looking for his brother, "Richard where the hell are you!"

Martina was left at a loss for words as Seth came back down the stairs and went into the basement, with Martina close by, wanting to talk to her son.

However when Seth opened the door, he and his mother saw just what kind of a room Richard had down here.

"What in the..." Seth gasped. Seeing the weapons was all right as he had been down here before. The opened chests that contained the severed heads of creatures of the night was a new twist. Looking down at his feet, he saw a bag of heads. One of them he recognized. "... Tomas?" Opening up the bag he looked into it and saw three more heads. The heads of people he knew. "Raphael? Poe? Griffin? ... he killed you all?"

"Seth... you know these creatures?" Martina asked, looking at the heads of creatures as if they were disgusting, but her look changed when she saw the look of hate on her son's face.

"Don't you dare... don't you dare be like Richard mother!" Seth snapped, "Don't you dare be a bigot like him! They weren't monsters! They were my friends!"

"And they were also innocents."

Seth and Martina turned to face Julius who was sitting down now on a chair. "I can't say that for all of the severed heads Richard has kept here, as 'trophies' of his kills, but for your friends Seth, they did not do anything to harm humanity. They did not deserve what your brother did to them, and for that I am truly sorry." 

"Grandfather..." Seth moaned, feeling anger and sorrow welling up inside of him. "Why... why did he..."

"Your brother hates anything non human because he watched your father die at the hands of a demon, one that took the form of a human, one your father called friend." Julius explained, surprising Seth and Martina. "Richard snuck out the night Alexis was killed. He watched his father die and hated himself for not being able to do a thing, but even worse, he decided to blame all creatures of the night for his father's death. That is the reason for his hate."

"I ... I never knew... Alexis..." Martina cried, feeling as if she was relieving the day she had been told her husband was dead, now she was told how it happened.

"But why... why didn't ever say anything?" Seth asked.

"It was for the best I would think," Julius said, "Can you honestly tell me that if you knew the truth, that you wouldn't have turned out like Richard?"

"... no." Seth sighed.

"Your brother is not evil. Merely misguided." 

"His misguided mind nearly got my girlfriend killed!" Seth snapped, "As it is he already killed four of my friends!"

"And how many others will he kill now that I have given him the Vampire Killer whip?" Julius asked.

"... YOU DID WHAT?!" Seth roared in outrage, "You knew what he did and yet you gave him the Whip!?!"

"Seth..." Martina started to say but Seth shoved her and he charged Julius.

"DAMN YOU!!!" Seth roared as he went to strike Julius, only to get knocked flat on his back, hurting and having Julius put his foot down on his throat.

"Is this what you were planning on doing when you met Richard? Go ahead and blindly rush him, your hatred consuming everything in you, just as his hate has almost consumed him!" Julius said fiercely, "I did not give him the Vampire Killer just so I could lose you both."

"Lose us both?" Seth blinked.

"You understand what the Vampire Killer whip means now. I can see that in your eyes. You know what Richard will do with it if he remains as he is. Every single non-human being on this planet will be hunted down by him, and that will include the people that you care about that aren't human." 

"Felicia... she's still alive but..." Seth shook his head, remembering how he saw her when he found her in her apartment, how helpless he felt and how he felt it was his fault for what happened to her.

Julius took his foot off of his throat after seeing Seth's anger was gone. He looked the boy dead in the eyes. "If you are ever to going to be able to break the cycle of hate within him, you must now let go of your own hate for him, face your own fears and then perhaps you can win... because if you fail, then all you care for will fail alongside you."

"... what do I have to do?" Seth asked with absolute seriousness both in his voice and his eyes.

Julius's response was only one simple word. "Train."

* * *

The next month was probably the most grueling Seth had ever experienced in his life. He had never gone through the type of training that Richard had put himself through. He had done stuff like endurance training, which consisted of running miles and lifting weights, in addition to his long hours of practicing with the whip. He had seen him do it some times when he was younger.

Julius's training methods were nothing like what Richard put himself through. Where as Richard had to self teach himself in his training by reading records from the family archives, he had never been given the purest form of training: that of being trained by another Belmont. Something Seth was now experiencing first hand.

Julius had him out wearing chain mail under normal clothing and took him out into the woods nearly three miles away. There he had him working on perfecting his skill with the whip. Fighting with a sword would be useless against Richard, especially with the Vampire Killer in his possession. It would have to be whip versus whip. 

Seth had to admit that Julius made things easier for him. He had tried to learn even simple techniques with the whip by himself and had failed. Julius showed him what he had been doing wrong. That was something at least.

It only meant the real work would be dealing with the more advanced moves. However the whip wasn't the only weapon that Julius made him practice with. An array of weapons was brought with them each day. An axe, a dagger, a cross, and holy water. The dagger was the easiest for Seth to get the hang of. The axe was harder to throw based on its own size. He could toss holy water rather far or short, though the cross he had no idea how to use that at first. 

When he found it worked like a boomerang, he took a shine to it, liking how it would return to him. Julius took note of that and had him work on that weapon and the dagger only then, as it would be best only to focus on sub-weapons that Seth could handle and could excel in given the time that was left. 

The first week of training Seth thought was hard, even though he still had school. He wasn't about to drop out but Julius told him if he wasn't sleeping or at school, he was going to be training. Seth agreed to those rules and once school was over for the winter, he knew the training was really going to get underway.

The first week seemed like a cakewalk to him now after going through the last three weeks. Felicia had healed completely and came to his house, literally pouncing Seth once she saw him. She had missed him that much. It was that love pounce that led to the inevitable confrontation between her and Martina.

To Seth's surprise, he found his mother and his girlfriend actually had quite a few things in common, like cooking style and favorite soap operas. He did feel very embarrassed though when she started telling Felicia about some things he did as a child that he would have rather wanted to leave buried. When he saw Felicia laughing her head off at the tales, he knew she was going to razz him for it.

He just never expected she would do it during the sparing sessions he would have with her. Julius decided to have him fight his own girl friend in her werecat form, without a whip at first because there would be times when one would be without a whip or even a weapon and must rely on ones own cunning.

To be honest, Seth thought that Felicia enjoyed their little 'cat and mouse' hunts way too much. Especially when she got the drop on him, pounced on him, and then licked him across his face.

Over the last month he had improved but there were still only two months left now before Richard would make his move against Soma Cruz and Seth was determined to stop his brother from falling into damnation.

He had stopped hating his brother for what he had done for quite a while now. It was the first lesson Julius gave to him. Teaching him history from the Belmont clan of how there had been others that had friends, people that had trusts who had betrayed them to evil, to gain power or satisfaction. There were a few that lost themselves to their own hatred and died, but many of them managed to overcome or fight past the hate and do what was just instead.

That was something Seth took to heart. It was the only hope he had to getting his brother to back off of this insane crusade he was on now. 

__But am I... will I become strong enough to actually beat Richard?_ _Seth asked himself as he sat in the family library, looking at books of the Belmont history. __He's been a vampire hunter longer than I have. He's trained so much more than me and for a longer time... how can I win?__

"Have trouble there, Tigger?"

Seth groaned as he heard Felicia behind him, "You aren't going to let me go for me dressing up as a cartoon tiger when I was four for Halloween are you?"

"Nope," Felicia smirked, as she held up to his surprise a picture of Seth at that age in said costume, "Especially when you look so very cute in that picture."

"... MOTHER!!!" Seth shouted, still in disbelief at how well his mother and his girlfriend got along, especially now that Felicia had practically moved in with them.

"Oh don't be a sourpuss," Felicia purred as she put her hands on his shoulders, giving him a massage, "Let me take away your tension."

"... think I can really win?"

"Meow?" Felicia blinked at the question from her lover.

"Do you think I can beat my brother?" Seth asked seriously.

"... I won't lie to you. You know I can't," she said as she took a seat down next to him, her face usually playful now absolutely serious. "You've improved a lot this last month... but I saw your brother, how he moved in my apartment when he struck me. He knows exactly where and how to hit an opponent for the maximum amount of pain whether its to kill or leave alive.... I don't know if you can beat him Seth."

"Richard's done a lot of work over the years to become the vampire hunter he thought Father would be proud of," Seth replied, "He's a master at all of the sub weapons Grandfather has shown me and he's still better than me at the whip. He still will be when we fight."

"... the nineteenth century?" Felicia asked, looking at the book that Seth was reading. 

"I'm finding the more middle section of the history of Dracula to be interesting." Seth said.

"History of Dracula? I thought this was a book on your family's history..." Felicia stated, "... but then again I never really heard of any Belmonts coming in during that time."  
  
"Mainly because of another similar persecution that happened during that period of time, around the later half of the 1800," Seth said, "One of my ancestors, Reinhart Schneider, was from our bloodline but had chosen to change his name to avoid the Church. Through intermarriage and avoiding those that were our persecutors, there wasn't another Belmont officially known to the world until the mid 1900's." 

"Well you do come from a special breed of man," Felicia grinned, "Aside from a few other non-humans, only your family has ever managed to beat Dracula."

"... wait... what's this?" Seth muttered looking over an entry in the early 1800's. In there was a picture of a young man, dressed in brown and green clothes.

"Seth... he kind of looks like you," Felicia muttered, "Change the silver hair to your color and he could possibly be like your twin. You both have the same eyes."

"Nathan Graves," Seth read the entry on the man in question, "A young vampire hunter in training. Noted for being the one to kill Dracula in the year 1830 AD, especially on the fact that he was not a direct descendent of Belmonts, though there was evidence of ties between the Graves and Belmont clans."

"Wait? A non-Belmont killed the Lord of the Night?!" Felicia stared long and hard at that, "And wasn't Dracula taken care of by his own son Alucard back in 1797. The last time I remember that the bloodsucker came back was in 1844, when Cornell fought the Count and lived to tell about it. His deeds are well known to all were-people and he's considered something of a hero to us."

"Probably why you guys aren't that afraid of vampires as you once were." Seth replied.

"... you even make a stupid _Underworld_ joke lover and I swear I'll make you suffer in the worst way imaginable," Felicia said softly yet fiercely in his ear. Seeing him nod, she relaxed, "They were all bad, all of the movies in that entire rotten series. It gave our kind a bad name."

"Let's get back to reading more on Nathan shall we?" Seth suggested, "'In 1830, the dark priestess Carmilla sought out the return of her master, Lord Dracula. She attempted to do so by using the life power of the captured vampire hunter Morris Baldwin. Baldwin's two young disciples, Hugh Baldwin, his son, and Nathan Graves, had to fight to save not only him but also stop Dracula from resurrecting entirely.'" Seth took a moment before reading again, "It says that Morris Baldwin and his son were descendents of the Belmont line. Dracula took Morris to try to revive himself entirely. Hugh apparently wasn't chosen to wield the Vampire Killer then."

"Morris chose Nathan over his own son?" Felicia asked.

"Apparently it was the smart move considering Hugh let his anger and jealousy over Nathan reach the point where Dracula could enspell him," Seth answered, "... what my brother's done, gone through. He isn't the only one. Other Belmonts have been tempted by darkness."

"Because you are human," Felicia said in kind, "You are perhaps the most unique of all creatures that walk this earth. Because you can chose your own paths so freely in any way, where as for our kind, there are some callings we can't deny no matter how independent we feel we are. That is your blessing and your curse."

"I know that now," Seth nodded, "But Nathan didn't have our blood, at least the books don't think so. Even with the Vampire Killer it would have been very difficult... how did he do it?" he continued to read on and soon found his answer.

"... Magical Cards?" Felicia asked incredulously when she read it as well.

"The Graves family had some magical blood within them, though it couldn't be specified as to whom it came from. In any event, a type of magic that Nathan used was magic that could be drawn from cards that were known as the Star Set and Myth Set."

"Star and Myth?" Felicia asked.

"There were ten cards in each set. The Star Set was composed of ten different planetary bodies or constellations, they gave direct power. They were used in conjunction with the Myth Set, which was made up of ten cards, each card made to represent a different mythological creature. It was using these cards in conjunction with the Vampire Killer that he was able to slay Count Dracula." Seth finished, though looked like he was in thought. 

"Seth?"

"Graves... I think I read about that name before..." he started flipping through the book, ending up in the 1960's. "There! Julia Graves. Married to Ambrose Belmont in Paris, France. October 18, 1963. She was a descendent of Nathan Graves."

"But if that's true... would Richard have..." Felicia muttered, wondering what could happen if Richard knew of this as he had spent more time reading the family history than Seth did.

Seth didn't speak. He just rushed into the basement, looking through the chests. He knew that they were separated by centuries and then further sub divided by decades. "40s, 50s, 60s... there!" finding the right chest he opened it up, finding several different things. Newspaper clippings, old clothes, some boxes with some jewelry.

And then there was antique wooden box with a star and a moon carved into it. Wasting no time, Seth opened the box just as Felicia came down.

"Seth? What is it?" 

"Felicia..." he said slowly, making her worry. However that worry faded when he turned around, holding a card in his hand that had the picture of a unicorn on it. "I think I just found what I needed to match my brother."

* * *

Over the next two months, whatever time Seth wasn't sleeping, training with Julius or sparing with Felicia, he was working on applying his heritage from the Graves clan, the ability of using the Star and Myth Cards. When he brought this up to Julius, asked him why he didn't use the cards himself, the answer he gave was a simple one.

"All Belmonts possess their own form of magic, for some it may be the same as others and then again it may not.  It all depends on the personality of the person who is looking to find their magic. The cards didn't feel like they were for me as they did not feel they were for any of the others. You however, you by your own interest in them I can see, they may be the way to unlocking your magic."

He knew he couldn't master them all. Not in the amount of time that he had remaining. He first did trial and experimentation, to see what the cards could do. After finding what cards he felt most comfortable with, he decided to focus on them, as he knew with fighting someone like Richard he would not have a lot of time to switch cards. He had to use ones that counted.

The training was paying off for Seth. The chain mail he had been made to wear, heavy as it was, had been endurance training, making himself develop faster as he needed to get better faster. Near the end he had seen his entire body had become more defined. He wasn't anywhere nearly as big as his brother was where muscles were concerned, nor would he ever want to. He was more in tune to speed as his lean body suggested. 

Julius realized this in the training, that Seth was not one of brute force. He had to work in hit and run, to pick his spots when they mattered most or he wouldn't make it. It was working on all of his aspects that helped out the most.

By the third month he could beat Felicia in their 'cat and mouse' game. He could crack the whip and use it infinitely better than he ever could when he started. His work with the cards had gone very well. He felt like the training would just continue on and he could continue to improve.

But that's when at long last a letter came from Richard. 

* * *

_'Seth, _

_            I know you've been training. I know you must be mad with me... well **were** mad with me at least. I am hoping the training as made you see who the true enemy is.  Three months have passed. Four days from now, at 7:30 pm I am going to attack and kill Soma Cru... no. I'm going to kill Count Dracula before he enters that shrine he keeps going to and free the girl whose mind he's bewitched. I hope you will come and aid me in this hunt. This is how it should be. Us brothers together fighting against the night. Believe in me and the power of the Vampire Killer my brother and together we will bring light to the world._

_                                                                                                                        Richard'_

Seth simply put the letter down and looked at his grandfather, who saw his face. "So... it's finally time."

"Yes," Seth nodded, "One way or another, it will end in four days. Felicia's already making the call to get us to Japan. We won't warn Soma. We'll wait and then I'll confront Richard. Put an end to this insanity."

"Seth, there is something I want to give you now," Julius said as he handed to Seth a large box. One he opened.

After a few moments, Seth shook his head, "I cannot accept your clothes Grandfather, they aren't a part of me..." he did however take out of the box a single whip, a smile on his face, "I will however take your whip. You've been a part of me for all of this training. Now its time to put this to the ultimate test. To protect the ones I love."

"You have come a long way my grandson," Julius said, now embracing his son's offspring, "Call when this is over."

"... you aren't coming?" Seth asked.

Julius shook his head. "I have prepared you. This step you must take all on your own."

"... you're right. I'm the only that can take this step." Seth nodded. "Be well grandfather."

"As with you Seth," Julius replied, "As with you."

Seth left him and went back upstairs to gather his things, soon finding his mom coming in. 

"I made this for you, I felt just by the people you've looked up too, even though you weren't so much into the family history, that you would want something like this." Martina said to her son.  
  
Seth looked at what was inside and a smile came to his face, "I will wear it proudly, mother."

Martina sobbed as she embraced her youngest son, "Come back to me alive. Come back to me and bring your brother home."

"I will Mother," Seth promised, "Somehow, I'll find a way." He heard a car horn sound and knew that was Felicia. "Gotta go."

With that Seth got his things, walked out the door and got in the car. Felicia started it up again and the two left, leaving Julius comforting Martina outside the doorway. "Tell me Julius... do you really think Seth can save Richard?"

"It is in God's hands now, Martina," Julius said truthfully, "All we can do now... is pray."

* * *

_Four Days Later...  
Tokyo, Japan_

Eighteen-year-old Soma Cruz had a smile on his face as he walked his girlfriend, Hakuba Mina, back to her temple. She was rarely out of her priestess robes, but then again who was he to say anything. He was wearing almost every day now the same clothes he wore when he went into Dracula's castle. The white leather jacket with blue lining and white fur collar, black shirt and blue jeans worked well with his short frost white hair and silver grey eyes.

He was a definite opposite both in looks and appearance to the man he was once in a former life. Known as Vlad the Impaler, the Lord of the Night, the King of Vampires.

__Dracula... five months now and still the power is within me, but I am its master. It is not the master of me.__ Soma mused. He had come close to losing himself to who had once been, but Mina, thoughts of his Mina, her praying for him was what saved him from becoming a man he would have despised. Someone he would have given his own life in exchange to make sure he would never return.

__It makes me wonder, how human am I still? So far I don't feel any different in daylight. I bleed still. I feel pain. But I feel love and warm... so what am I?__ An answer came to him. __Heh. Maybe its just really simple. I'm Soma Cruz, and that's all that really matters.__

"Soma, you haven't said a word at all for while now," Mina said.

"Sorry Mina," Soma smiled, "Just been thinking a lot now."

"Like how many people you have left to harm... Dracula!"

Soma and Mina froze when they heard that voice call out. Whomever it was knew who Soma once was. Soma was already on guard, having Mina behind him.

"Oh please. Just bite her already. You've probably been wanting to do that for a while now, you filthy bloodsucker," the voice hissed.

Soma clenched his fists, yet didn't act impulsively as he felt power, real power, from whomever this was. "Are you man or a mouse?"

"A man," the voice spoke as a figure finally came from out of the shadows, carrying with him a whip. One that Soma recognized at once.

"The Vampire Killer!" Soma exclaimed, glaring at the man who had it, "What did you do to Julius?!"

"My grandfather gave me this whip. He told me to wait a few months before striking you down. That was three months ago." The man said.

"Your... grandfather?" Soma blinked.

"My name is Richard Belmont," the man said with a snarl on his face, "And with this whip I will slay you!" Faster than Soma could react, Richard snapped the whip at Soma's head but at that same time, Mina rushed in front of Soma.

"Stop this!" Mina cried out.

"Mina! No!" Soma shouted out, unbelieving how he had let it get this bad... yet he was surprised to see the whip never reached Mina. The reason for that being that there was a whip coiled around Richard's whip arm.

"What...?" Richard muttered.

"That's enough Richard." Another voice spoke out.

As Richard turned to face the one that struck, Soma could see him. He was dressed in a long red leather coat with black lining, black pants with a white shirt under the jacket. He could see a resemblance to the man that attacked him in the younger man. He wondered just whose side he was on.

"You disappoint me Seth," Richard sighed, "I would have thought you would have made the right choice my brother, and sided with me against the creatures of the night."

"I have made the right choice Richard," Seth returned, "Because one way or another, we are going to settle this, once and for all."

"I see you've decided to model your vampire hunter garb after our ancestor Juste," Richard said, sounding amused.

"Actually mother was the one that made it for me, but then she could always read me well," Seth replied, "Richard, I'm only going to say this once. Give this insane quest up now or..."

"Or you'll what? Fight me?" Richard snorted.

Seth simply got into a stance, his whip out. To Mina it meant nothing to her, but to Soma and Richard, the stance showed strength and it showed power. 

"... you have improved," Richard said respectfully, admitting to his brother's apparent growth, "Why don't we find out just how much you have grown?"

Mina looked up to her lover, her eyes almost pleading, "Soma do something."

"... I can't Mina," Soma shook his head, his eyes looking out at the two brothers who were ready to fight. "I don't have the right."

"Don't have the right? Soma one of them wants to kill you!" Mina snapped, "You can't just sit back and do nothing."

"That is exactly what you are going to do little girl." a strong feminine voice spoke, surprising Soma and Mina. They saw a rather attractive pink haired female walk towards them. Soma knew just by sight she wasn't human.

"Werecat... am I right?" Soma asked her.

The woman simply smirked, "Julius was right. You really do have Dracula's power running through your veins. No human could have ever figured that out just by sight alone."

"Who are you?" Mina asked.

"My name is Felicia. My intended mate is now about to fight his brother to stop an insanity that has cost the lives of many creatures of the night, my father among them." she told with absolute seriousness, "If you have any respect for the dead, you'll stay out of this fight completely."

Soma turned away from her and looked back at the brothers, "I already decided that before you decided to show up... do me one thing though. Watch Mina in case your mate gets killed."

"If that happens, rip the bastard's throat out," Felicia demanded. When she saw Soma nod, a smirk came to her face. __A human and a vampire and yet neither. You certainly are an interesting being Soma Cruz.__

* * *

The wind bellowed between the two brothers. For many times they had sparred against each other with words, but never with weapons. Never once had they ever been in a physical fight.

This would be the first time and both of them were feeling the tension, of wondering who would be the one to make the first move.

A crash of thunder in the sky was all either of them needed to charge one another, their whips cracked against each other bouncing back. When they got in close, both of them attacked with their own limbs. Richard landed a punch straight into Seth's gut, yet Seth was able to roll with the moment, and as he fell, struck Richard with both his feet across the jaw. 

Both hunters fell to the ground at the same time yet they both got back up at the same time as well. Both of them staring intently at one and other.

"You're a lot stronger than you used to be. You couldn't even throw a punch right before I left," Richard sneered.

Seth just smirked back, "I've improved a bit thanks to grandfather. I thought your self-taught style of training was bad, but grandfather was a lot worse. However it's paid off for me. Definitely a lot more than training the way you did would have for me." 

"... I see our grandfather taught you well," Richard said, a grim smile forming on his lips. "That might have worked on me when I was a beginner, but I've learned to put my ego behind me."

"Doesn't look like it to me," Seth returned, "You're letting your remorse for what happened to dad cloud your mind. Richard, there was nothing you could have done. You were just a kid. What could you have done?"

Richard's eyes narrowed when he heard that, "So grandfather told you. I told him not to."

"I had the right to know how father died. Maybe not when I was seven, but I sure as hell do now." Seth returned, "You can't continue to blame yourself Richard."

"I don't... I blame the creatures of the night!" with that Richard threw an axe down at Seth, missing him by several feet. However Seth was not expecting to see a stone pillar erupt from the ground and hit him in the chest sending him flying back wards. When he landed, he felt the pain in his chest but fought to ignore it. He saw Richard advancing upon him.

"You realize how many tribes of shamans, wizards and sorceresses we have going through our bloodline?" Richard asked candidly, "Every Belmont has the power to find their own magic within their soul. Mine happens to be charging my sub weapons with elemental force, creating devastating attacks. That was one of the lower grade versions, as it took a small amount of time to charge it." Richard looked at Seth seriously. "Submit now before I have to seriously hurt you. Realize that you can't beat me without magic."

Seth simply smirked at Richard, "Whoever said I was without magic?"

Richard didn't even have time to ask as he saw a blue colored sphere heading right for him. He dodged it and avoid the main strike, however he didn't expect it to explode into eight pieces. Two of them struck him, one in the leg and the other across his back. He felt a numbing sensation going through him but used his own power to fight the cold yet it was strong. He looked at his brother with newfound respect, never expecting him to be able to find his own magic within the amount of time he had been training seriously. "How?"

Seth held up two cards, "Recognize these?"

Richard did as his eyes went wide, "The Apollo and Serpent Cards?! You can use Nathan Graves' Cards!"

"It interested me a lot. So many different combinations to use," Seth replied, back on his feet.

Richard was also back on his feet, looking at the young man he could scarcely believe was his own brother. __Where on earth did he find the will to become this strong? How could he have achieved this level of skill in such a short amount of time?__ He knew he would have turn it up now to beat his brother.

He just wasn't sure if anything short of killing him would stop him.

* * *

"How long can they fight?" Mina asked, "They are brothers right?"

"Brothers that have a lot of problems. Problems that never got solved," Felicia sighed, "This is the only way its going to get resolved."

Soma just looked on at the fight. From what he could tell they looked evenly matched. Richard was the stronger and more experienced of the two. Seth, however, had the speed advantage and Richard was clearly underestimating his younger brother. __Must mean Seth never really trained as much as Richard did. If Seth doesn't take his brother out soon, that advantage will soon fade and he will not be able to win on speed alone.__

* * *

The clash continued between the two as they continued to fight with whips, with bare fists and also with magic. Both of them managed to get hits on the other, but at the moment neither had the edge.

"Let's see you take this!" Richard shouted throwing a vial of Holy Water he had charged for some time. When it struck the ground, it would cause a fairly large explosion, though it wouldn't kill Seth.

Seth realized that Richard wouldn't throw Holy Water at him without a good reason. He had already switched out his cards before the water had been thrown. Now he had to switch just one to implement his counter. Once he did, he pulled out his Cross out and threw it at his brother. 

As the Cross sailed through the air, it split and became three times it normal size. One struck the vial and an explosion occurred. The explosion took out another of the crosses. The third one kept going for Richard, who tried to escape it, but still managed to get grazed in the shoulder by the cross. It returned to Seth in its normal size. After putting it away, Seth looked at his brother, "Looks like we are even."

"No... we aren't." Richard replied as he held up a dagger, which was glowing brightly now. Seth understood that even when Richard had been charging the vial of Holy Water with one hand, he was charging his dagger with the other.

"Let's see how you like this!" Richard screamed throwing the dagger at him. Seth tried to move yet suddenly the dagger became many and suddenly blasts of light came out of the blades, all of them striking him hard, making him fall to the ground.

Richard staggered a bit, feeling a drain upon himself for having to call that much power. That was one of his most draining attacks. __It's over now.__ He turned to look at Soma, as if ready to fight him, but then froze as he felt a power behind him.

"Did you knock me out?" Seth growled as he was on his knees, now changing cards again, "You should have done that... now you are going to pay for it!"

From the ground itself, a tidal wave of earth and dirt came up and rushed towards Richard, he had no idea how to defend against this kind of an attack. He simply tried to defend as best as he could as the wave buried him, literally.

Seth got up to his feet, walking toward the mound of earth that there was, wondering if his brother had actually been knocked out.

The hand that emerged with a whip that struck him back to the ground answered that question in a heartbeat. Richard pulled himself out of the dirt, an absolute mess yet still very much capable of fighting.

"You are giving me one hell of a work out Seth," Richard admitted, "I mean that... but I won't be stopped now..." from his coat he pulled out a saber, intending to use the dull side to knock him out. "This is the end!" 

He swung down intending to take his brother out of the fight, only to see to his shock, his sword being stopped by his brother's whip, which had become a holy sword. Richard could only stare in disbelief. "... but... that's... impossible..."

"Get... off me!" Seth roared as pushed up and literally threw Richard into the air. He fell back to earth hard, the breath knocked out of him momentarily.

__I don't believe this! How can he be lasting this long against me!__ Richard slammed his fist in the ground, drawing up the Vampire Killer whip into his hands and got back up to his feet. Seth was starting to get up but Richard had had enough, and decided to give his brother a lashing, nailing him squarely across the face and knocking him down to the ground. 

Richard fell to his knees in exhaustion, the fight with his brother was unquestionably the toughest fight he had ever endured and he couldn't believe how much he had improved. __At least it's ov... I don't believe it!__

Seth was trying to get back up, his hand reaching for his whip. Richard however wouldn't have it as he practically got on top of his brother, pinning him to the ground. "Why? Why do you refuse to stay down!"

"I... have people that I want to protect..." Seth breathed out, "... they won't be safe until you see reason."

"Damn it Seth! Why can you see that I'm the one in the right and you are not!" Richard exclaimed.

"... because you aren't Richard."

The elder Belmont brother felt his anger growing, his fist tightening over the Vampire Killer whip. "I don't want to do this to you... I give you one final chance Seth. Join me. Join our family in our legacy of hunting the night and let us fight side by side like true brothers should. You've already shown me you have a warrior's spirit. Join me."

"You were right Richard. Being a vampire hunter is something we can't deny. It is something I was meant to be come," Seth admitted, looking at his brother in the eyes, "... but I can't join someone blinded by hate. It goes against everything our family stands for. It goes against what the Vampire Killer stands for."

"... ... ... DAMN YOU SETH!!!" Richard roared, his anger finally past its limits as he prepared to swing the Vampire Killer whip down on his brother's face, which could very well be a lethal blow.

"SETH!" Felicia cried out from where she was, wanting to go yet knowing she could not. The fight was almost over and its ending had to play out.

However the ending was not what any were expecting.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

"... Richard?" Seth blinked, hearing his brother's cry of pain and wondering what could have caused it. He looked at Richard, holding his now empty right hand, the Vampire Killer whip on the ground. Richard tried to pick it up but the moment he did, his hand caught on fire, he screamed out in pain, pain that was too much to bare. It was only when he let go of the whip that the pain ceased and the fires faded away.

"... this is strange twist of events," Soma commented from the sidelines.

Seth looked at the Vampire Killer on the ground, afraid to touch it for the moment as if he wondered if it would burn him like it did Richard. He soon realized he had nothing to fear, so he picked up the whip and to Richard's shock, he was not burned by it.

"This... can't be..." Richard shook his head, as he rushed his brother, going for the Vampire Killer but as soon as his fingers touched it, he was burned once more and had to let go. When the flames faded, Richard just stared at his brother in disbelief. "… why... why is it doing this? Why is it burning me and not you?"

_"Because he has been chosen while you have been deemed unfit to wield the whip."_ A disembodied voice spoke all around them.

"Who is that! I demand you show yourself!" Richard declared, "Who are you to tell me, an heir to the power of the Vampire Killer that I am unfit to wield it!"

_"I am the one that made it."_

Suddenly the Vampire Killer left Seth's hands and a form of blue light came from it, coalescing into a ghostly apparition. The ghost was of a man in his late twenties-early thirties with short blonde-brown hair and blue eyes. His appearance reflected that of a medieval knight, more accurately one from the Crusades. 

For Seth and Richard, it was a figure that they recognized very easily, for he was the founder of their entire family's legacy. 

For Soma, it was the memories that he had gained from his power of Dracula that allowed him to know who this specter was.

"Leon Belmont." Seth breathed in awe and shock.

The ghost of Leon Belmont cast his gaze upon Richard, "Just what did you think you were doing?"

"I... I was doing what our ancestors had done!" Richard defended himself, "I was slaying creatures of the night! I ..."

"You were about to murder your own brother!" Leon roared, his voice showing volumes of anger and outrage, enough to make Richard become silent. "Do you have any idea how close you were to the fires of Hell? Do you even understand if you had actually killed your brother, it would have been the final nail in the coffin? The final thing that God would have needed to sentence your soul to Hell for all eternity. To the place where we have sent many of those who walk the path of evil. Do you have any idea what so ever of the torment you would have felt for all eternity?" 

"I... I..." Richard muttered, looking down at his burned hand, his mind starting to realize just what he had been about to do. 

"Not all creatures of the night are evil." Leon continued. "What happened to your father was regrettable and I am truly sorry for the suffering you endured by witnessing it first hand. But you cannot place your blame on all of them."

"They murdered father... I watched my father torn to pieces..." Richard muttered, now on his knees, "I... I have hated them so much... they are all just monsters..."

"Hatred is something that is unavoidable. We can feel it, but we can never let it be the reason for what we do." Leon said to Richard, "It was not the reason why I defeated Walter Bernhard, the vampire that cost me my betrothed, Sara Trantoul." 

"She was tainted, turned into a vampire," Seth started to say, remembering the account from the archives and looked at the Vampire Killer.

"This whip was not always known as the Vampire Killer. It was once called the Whip of Alchemy, forged by a good man named Rinaldo Gandolfi, an alchemist who helped me very much in my fight against Walter. However, the whip had no affect on Walter at all, because it was not complete." Leon told them, "In order to make it complete, the life of a willing vampire was needed to complete it. To infuse the whip with the power needed to slay vampires as powerful as Walter. No vampire would ever give their own life away to create a weapon that would slay their own kind... but Sara was not yet one of them."

"She begged me to end her life, to make the whip complete so that no one else would ever suffer as she had. And so... I slew my beloved Sara to make the Vampire Killer," Leon finished, his own face pained as he remembered that day. "This is the origin of the Vampire Killer. Its power comes from the night as well as from the soul of my beloved... and mine as well."

"Yours?" Richard asked.

"Heaven without my beloved Sara, would be nothing more than an eternity of emptiness. When I was to die, I made sure that my soul would be transferred to the whip. So that my beloved and I would finally be together," Leon explained. "I have watched for nearly a thousand years my descendants carry on the Belmont Legacy. Many have done us proud, some have faltered into the dark... Richard. You do not have to remain in this darkness."

"... how... how can you feel this way... about the creatures of the night... after all they did to you?" Richard asked. "Didn't you hate Walter? Didn't you slay him with hatred in your heart?"

Leon smiled slightly at that, "Its ironic I should hear someone ask me that question again, nearly a thousand years later from when it was first asked. I struck Walter down with hatred, I would be lying if I said otherwise...  but I did it with the intention that others might live. That was Sara's dying wish, the only way that I could prove my love to her."

He looked into Richard's eyes, seeing that he had opened his eyes to the truth. Now he had to finish it. "Richard, do not allow yourself to have your hatred and bitterness consume you, as it did consume by best friend."

"Mathias Cronqvist," Richard muttered, remembering it was he who was behind everything that happened to Leon. "What ever became of him? Did you ever cross paths with him again?"

"I never did, but many others have" Leon replied, "In fact he has been slain many times by my descendants, only to rise from the dead."

"What do you mean? The archives speak nothing of..." Richard trailed off, his eyes went wide as he made the realization and so did Seth.

"Yes, you are correct," Leon told them, "Mathias Cronqvist became the vampire that the world would know as Dracula."

For that fact, that realization, it made Richard realize what he had been doing and the path he had nearly taken. "God... forgive me..." he begged as he broke down and cried right there.

Seth breathed easily, putting a hand on his brother's shoulder. "... finally. Its over."

"Seth Belmont." Leon spoke aloud, getting his attention. His hand was stretched out with the Vampire Killer extended. "I believe this is yours."

"... no. It's not..."

Leon shook his head, "Julius's time with it has now past. Richard is incapable of wielding it. You are the only one that has the right to it now. Accept what is rightfully yours."

With a look of a respect and honor, Seth took the Vampire Killer from his revered ancestor. "... thank you... you have no idea what it means to me to hear you say that."

"Follow your heart and you will not falter. My time here is at an end." Leon spoke, as his form started to fade. "To you and your brother, I wish you farewell and good journey." 

Before he faded away, he turned to look at Soma and Mina. Mina couldn't understand why he was looking at her but Soma did. "... I am not Mathias... but for what it's worth, I am sorry for what he did to you and your betrothed."

Leon smiled slightly at Soma, "You have nothing to be sorry for. It was good to see you. I wish you well, Soma Cruz. May you find your life to be a blessed one." With that said, the spirit of Baron Leon Belmont, the first to pick up the quest against the night, vanished without a trace.

No one made any moves for several moments. Soma was the first to make one, walking towards Richard and stopping right in front of him, he did something that took the elder Belmont brother by surprise.

He offered his hand up.

"... how can you do that... after I nearly tried to kill you?"

Soma just shook his head at the bewildered Belmont. "That was then and this is now. Sides, in case you haven't realized it yet I am not Dracula. I suggest you get used to that fact."

Richard just stared at the hand, a part of him thinking that Soma would attack him and yet there was a part of him that realized that he wouldn't. Slowly but surely he took the hand and Soma helped him to his feet.

Richard looked at the people around him now. Soma, Mina, his brother, finally his eyes rested upon Felicia. "... nothing I can ever say will ever make up for what I did to you."

"Damn straight," Felicia said coldly, "You tortured and murdered my father and my friends, as well as left me to bleed to death.... I dare say you owe me."

"Owe you?" Richard blinked in confusion.

"This is what you are going to do, Richard Belmont. You're going to keep the sanity you've gained from this entire ordeal and never fall back into the hatred you once held," Felicia walked right up to him and looked him in the eyes, her face feral and absolutely serious, "Because if you slip once, just once, I will let every were person know what you did and they'll join me on a hunt. A hunt that will last until we find you and then kill you exactly how you killed my father."

"Felicia..." Seth started to say but Richard raised his hand.

"... if I were ever to fall back into what I once was, I'd welcome death by your hands." Richard said with his head low, "I can only hope... that you won't hate me forever."

"I've learned just by seeing all of this what hate can do," Felicia said, "I don't hate you. I may never forget what you have done, I may not even forgive you for what you did... but I can tolerate your presence."

"Come on Richard, let's go back home." Seth said walking toward his brother.

"... I'm not going back... I can't." Richard shook his head.

"Richard?" Seth asked.

"Look at me... how can you not hate me?" Richard asked, "I nearly killed you Seth..."

"But you didn't," Seth shook his head, "Richard as angry as I have gotten at you, I have never truly hated you."

"... I have hated you," Richard admitted aloud, surprising his brother. "When father died, mother spent so much time with you and it continued on through out the years. I resented you for it and that was part of why I taunted you over the years, taking pride in how I could excel over you in the family trade... now the roles are reversed."

"What are you talking about?" Seth asked, as Richard looked him in the eyes.

"I have been a Vampire Hunter for over six years... yet my hardest fight was against my own brother and even though I still won, still remain 'undefeated', I know if you had done what I had done to train... you would have been the victor."

"You don't know that," Seth said.

"Seth, you have never trained as seriously as I did. What did you do? Two hours a day compared to the ten to twelve hours a day I did over the last six years, and that's not including the hunts I've gone on, while you yourself have never been on a hunt. It's taken me all that time to reach my current skill level." Richard explained, "Now look at yourself. In three _months_, you have reached a level of skill where you match me. You can actually _match_ me in combat."

"Not forever, I don't have your endurance," Seth returned, "But Richard, I don't understand this. Why are you refusing to come home now? It's obvious you understand you were wrong."

"Understanding I was wrong and knowing there is still hate in my heart are two very different things," Richard replied, surprising his brother, "Do you honestly think would just go away? That I would be changed once I understood? It's not that simple, not at all. ... those mon... beings that I killed in that apartment. I know now that they were innocents. But what about the others that I have hunted down. How many among them weren't evil?" He looked down at his hands, as if he was disgusted with the sight of them, "How much innocent blood do I have on my hands?"

"Richard..." Seth sighed, not knowing what to say now.

"I can't go back home, not like this," Richard shook his head, "I can never have the purity you have, but I have to learn to find the line that separates the good and the evil. Then and only then can I call myself a real Vampire Hunter... like you are now."

To hear his brother say that, that he was more of a Vampire Hunter than he was, was the closest thing to praise Seth had ever gotten from Richard. "Richard... I..."

"You don't have the same devotion I do, but your skills are almost on par to my own and more importantly, your heart is definitely in the right place," Richard said, looking into his brother's eyes. "I have to find my own heart again, and this time find the right path."

"... take this." Seth replied, holding out to Richard a whip. Not the Vampire Killer, but the whip he had used in their fight. "This belonged to grandfather. Not only do you need a weapon now, but I think he would want you to have it."

"You don't have the need for it, now that you have the Vampire Killer," Richard quipped, though both of them knew it was good-natured. He took the whip from his brother and attached it to his belt. "... thank you, for not giving up on me."

"What are brothers for?" Seth returned, as for the first time in years, the two brothers hugged one another. "Take care of yourself Richard. I don't want you to get yourself killed, now more than ever."

"Same goes to you little brother," Richard said. The two broke their embrace and then Richard started walking away, fading away into the mist of the night.

"Well... now its over," Felicia smirked.

"Quite the battle," Soma said with a slight smirk on his face. 

"Soma Cruz," Seth turned around to face the other young man and walked towards him. "We haven't been formally introduced." He held his hand out to him, "Seth Belmont."

Soma took the offered hand and shook it, "Well you definitely sound a lot better than most Belmonts. Also surprising to see you are in love with a werecat."

"I'll take that as a complement." Seth returned.

"You should," Soma smirked.

"Soma, can you please take me back to my home. It's getting late and my parents will be mad if I'm not back soon," Mina whined.

"Don't worry Mina. I'll get you there," Soma promised, "After that though, I'm going to go taking a check around the city."

"You enjoy your occasional nights out a lot, maybe too much," Mina pouted.

"Mina, its not like it's all fun," Soma sighed.

"What does she mean by that?" Seth asked.

"Other creatures of the night here," Felicia spoke, figuring it had to be that.

Soma confirmed it, "Even after Graham's cult collapsed in with his death, those of his followers that were unaccounted for remained. Also now that my powers are awakened, I'm able to sense out other non-human creatures. Tokyo as well as Japan and other areas of Asia has become something of an immigration area to many of them."

"Figures. Asian culture doesn't exactly go into the heavy monster movie themes that stereotype our kind," Felicia muttered, "All they have are stupid movies about large green fake dinos."

"So, Seth, how long are you staying here then?" Soma asked. His face became concerned as he saw Seth looking like he was in thought.

"Lover?" Felicia asked, wondering what was going through her lover's mind.

"Soma, you're here as an exchange student right?" Seth asked with a slight smile on his face.

A smile that Soma matched as he realized what he was thinking, "I should be assuming you'll be staying for a while now."

"Well I have school to get back to, but I am sure I could work out something to come here as an exchange student," Seth replied, "Besides, now that I've gotten into this, I feel like I want to continue but try to live as normal a life as I can."

"That's exactly how I feel about it," Soma said. Looking into his eyes, he could see that Seth had the same wish to live a normal life as he did. However with their own heritages, a purely normal life was out of the question for them.

Still, purely normal life would probably be boring as hell. Some action makes for fun as well as making a difference.

"Let's take Mina back home first, then I'll take you on a trip to Toyko after dark," Soma smirked.

"Purrrfect," Felicia grinned, "I've been waiting to bust on out and let my left loose. The plane right was murder on me." She walked over to Mina and walked with her, "So Mina, how good is Soma to you?"

"Wha..." Mina blinked.

"... okay. Maybe that was the wrong question to ask at this point of your relationship not to mention we don't know each other that well yet," Felicia realized, "So I'll just stick to girl stuff. Like shopping?"

"What about shopping?" 

"Oh I don't know," Felicia said with a sly grin, "How about tomorrow when you got time, we go on a shopping spree and have our men hold everything we buy?" Before Mina could say anything, Felicia flashed out a credit card, "All on me."

"Well since you put it that way," Mina smiled. "Come on let's get going home now. We're only three blocks away."

As Mina walked to her home with Felicia talking beside her, Seth and Soma were dumbfounded and standing right where they were. "... is she always like this?" Soma asked.

"First time she's ever asked someone else to go on a shopping spree with her," Seth muttered, "She can act really playful, but she can hurt like a mother in a fight."

"I'll keep that in mind," Soma mused. Suddenly his head snapped back slightly, as if he felt something.

"What is it?" Seth asked, though he too felt something. A vibration from the Vampire Killer. "Vampire."

"Whomever it is, they have been watching us for some time," Soma mused, "Interesting how neither of us picked up on it until now. Must mean they are strong."

"Probably," Seth agreed, "... yet I'm not getting anything that speaks of evil from them."

"Nor do I," Soma replied, "Think we should find them?"

Seth considered it, but then shook his head, "No. I'm not exactly in a condition to fight a vampire that powerful, should it come to a fight. If they wanted to fight us, I'm pretty sure they would have done it already. Let's leave them be."

Soma had an amused smirk on his face, "For now at least. If they were watching us, I'm certain our paths may cross again. But for now, let's get after our girls before they start nagging at us."

"And I don't think we want that," Seth laughed and Soma soon joined in as the two young men went after their girls.

From a distance, the spirit of Leon Belmont watched them leave, a smile on his face. "And so it comes again full circle. What started out a thousand years ago as a betrayal by old friend, which became a millennium of war between good and evil, has now perhaps come to an end with this budding union. The reincarnation of my old friend Mathias and the latest of my decedents, now friends and becoming partners. Truly a new age is upon us all." 

As he faded away again, Leon did acknowledge one very important fact, "Though one evil may be gone from the world, another may soon rise to take its place."

* * *

Upon a roof over seeing the area of where the battle that had taken place only a short while ago. A Japanese man in his early thirties with dark black hair and wearing a black business suit looked down with a smile.

"Well... that went better than I planned. In fact a good part of what happened was not what I had anticipated at all," the man mused.

"Were you expecting someone to die?" a strong feminine voice spoke from behind him. Out of the shadows walked a young woman, looking as if she was in her mid twenties. Her outfit was a low cut, emerald green dress, with yellow lining at the cuffs of her sleeves. Brown silk gloves and a yellow sash around her waist. Her blonde hair reached down to her shoulders, though it was tied in the back by a green ribbon, her grey eyes looked serine in the moonlight.

"You aren't using a glamour," the man said, "Some one could..."

"Who is going to see us when we are on top of a building that is twenty stories high?" the woman rolled her eyes at him. "You worry too much some times."

"There's always a lot to worry about," the man replied. "... but you help make it less."

"I should hope so, since I love you," the woman returned, "Since you love me. Since turning me was the only way our love could endure."

"... have you ever..."

"Regretted giving up being human? Of outlasting my sister and my friends?" she asked, "No. I don't regret it because I am with you." As if to prove that, she put her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately for some time. 

After it was over, the man had a smile on his face, "Thank you for being my strength."

"I will always be there for you, always," she promised, "... might I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Why pick the name Genya Arikado?" she asked, "Given what it means in Japanese, I'm surprised that he hasn't figured it out yet. Especially since you've appeared before him."

"Maybe because I want to be easy yet difficult," Genya explained, "Genya means 'illusion' and Arikado means 'to have horns'. I picked it at first... because I wanted to test Soma. To see if he was really just a boy without a clue of what he had... or my father playing the role of an innocent has he had done in the past to elude his enemies."

"And now you know that he isn't the same man," the woman said, "Now you know he isn't your father, Alucard."

The image of Genya Arikado faded away, leaving behind a totally different person. That of a man of the same age as Genya but that was the only similarity. The man that stood in his place was of European descent, dressed in an all black attire that was almost like that of a nobleman. His shockingly white hair reached down to his waist, his skin as pale as snow itself. His amber eyes showed strength but also warmth when warranted.

Adrian Fahrenheit Tepes, more commonly known to lore as Alucard, the only son of Dracula, just looked down upon the sight of where the Belmont brothers had fought. The place where a great many sights had just occurred.

"When I learned of Richard Belmont's actions against the creatures of the night, I made certain to calm down fractions that would have wanted to sack him for it. It wouldn't do us any good to lose, at the time, the only Belmont that seemed like a capable warrior. With my authority I was able to do just that." Alucard stated.

"You sent Julius to the home of his son's widow for what reason though. I don't think he could have reasoned with him," the woman said.

"No, he wouldn't. To be honest, I wasn't sure exactly how this would all end." Alucard admitted, "I knew that once Julius arrived, told his grandsons about Soma, that Richard would demand the Vampire Killer. I didn't anticipate him slaying more non-humans, ones that were friends of the younger brother."

"That boy Seth, he has much potential. Perhaps more natural skill than his own brother," the woman mused.

"My sources told me he had only been training seriously for these last three months. Quite an impressive improvement of his skills," Alucard said respectfully. "I was thinking that by the brothers fighting, that perhaps Richard would see reason. Never once did I think to see the ghost of Leon Belmont."

"As it was, he set the misguided brother straight," the woman replied, "Are you going to have him watched still?"

"I would be foolish if I didn't," Alucard responded, "But none will make a move against him. We simply watch and see. He is trying to find his heart as well as find a way to live with non humans... he may be of use to us when the approaching storm comes."

"You have gone on about that for the last year," the woman sighed, "I thought with Soma's vanquishing of Chaos..."

"The evil of Dracula is very much gone from the world... but that leaves a void in the cosmic balance," Alucard replied, "One that is going to be filled by someone or something... it's coming. I don't know what it is or when exactly... all I know is that it is coming soon."

"I guess we'll have to make arrangements for a Meeting of the Alliance then," the woman said. "One more thing, you said not everything went to plan. What else couldn't have been what you had foreseen?"

To that question, Alucard had a smile on his face, "Seeing the potential birth of the greatest force that the forces of light and darkness may ever see. Alone, Soma Cruz and Seth Belmont are formidable. Untied... I feel they will play a key role in all of what is about to happen. A union such as this is not a coincidence. It is destiny and we are witnessing its twilight Maria."

Maria Renard, wife of Alucard put her arms around her beloved and just smiled, "You always make everything so much more dramatic."

Alucard just smirked, "You should see what I have planned for you this evening at home."

Maria smiled back, her fangs showing and her eyes delighted at that news, "Then let's not waste anymore time shall we?"

Alucard nodded and soon the two vampires changed into bats, flying away into the night sky, back to their home.

* * *

_And so it came to pass that Seth Belmont became the latest descendant of Leon Belmont to given the right to wield the Vampire Killer whip. He and his lover Felicia would make arrangements to allow them to attend school in Tokyo as exchange students. Both of them lived with Soma Cruz in his apartment, as their relationship would become a strong friendship and partnership in the fight against those creatures of the night that walked the path of evil._

_Richard Belmont left Japan the very day he woke up to the fact that not all creatures of the night were evil. He would cut himself off from the world, from his own family. Not believing himself ready to be with them again until he was able to find himself, to find the way to know the difference between a creature of good or evil._

_It would be some time before the brothers would ever meet once again, and even then it would be amidst the arrival of a new evil, one that would rival that of the infamous Count Dracula._

_But that... is another story..._

**The End**


End file.
